The Svetački Family in the Ottoman Service

Abstract

This paper explores the history of the Svetački or Svetačković family within the Ottoman Empire, presenting a rare or even unique case where members of a large noble family residing in the Sava-Drava interfluvium transitioned to the Ottoman side while maintaining influence and property in the same region where they were prominent before the Ottoman conquests. The initial section of the paper examines the Svetački family’s relations with the Ottomans, detailing the context and chronological progression of events related to their transition. Subsequently, the paper analyses the social standing and religious affiliation of family members on the Ottoman side, exploring the origin and inheritance of endowments and possessions utilized or held by the family throughout the Ottoman era. Furthermore, the study aims to reconstruct kinship ties among individual family members and identify specific localities mentioned in the sources as the family’s endowments and possessions. Drawing from both published and unpublished Ottoman sources, as well as published Western – primarily Latin – sources, the analysis of crucial events and processes in the history of the Svetački/Svetačković family is complemented by insights from regional and international scholarship on the Ottoman Empire.